Amazon.com
Here's a personal growth guidebook that's won the admiration and recommendation of Ted Hughes, Poet Laureate of England. He calls this "a brilliant, practical guide to awakening and training our vast, unused resources of intelligence and ability." Author Michael Gelb, founder of High Performance Learning and consultant for companies including AT&T and National Public Radio, says that we all can unlock the "da Vincian" genius inside us. Gelb says there are seven critical principles that need to be followed for success, whether you're learning a new language, studying to be a gourmet chef, or just hoping to be more effective on the job:
- Curiosita: An insatiably curious approach to life.
- Dimonstratzione: A commitment to test knowledge through experience.
- Sensazione: The continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as the means to clarify experience.
- Sfumato: A willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty.
- Arte/Scienza: The development of the balance between science and art, logic and imagination ("whole-brain thinking").
- Corporalita: The cultivation of ambidexterity, fitness, and poise.
- Connessione: A recognition and appreciation for the connectedness of all things and phenomena; "systems thinking."
Gelb discusses each of these principles in relation to what da Vinci accomplished, thereby giving this book a built-in history lesson. The illustrations from the master's work and time add a nice warmth to the work. As the president of NPR said after working with Gelb, this is a program recommended for "anyone who wants to experience a personal and professional Renaissance."
Book Description
Genius is made, not born. And human beings are gifted with an almost unlimited potential for learning and creativity. Now you can uncover your own hidden abilities, sharpen your senses, and liberate your unique intelligence—by following the example of the greatest genius of all time, Leonardo da Vinci.
Acclaimed author Michael J. Gelb, who has helped thousands of people expand their minds to accomplish more than they ever thought possible, shows you how. Drawing on Da Vinci's notebooks, inventions, and legendary works of art, Gelb introduces Seven Da Vincian Principles—the essential elements of genius—from curiosità, the insatiably curious approach to life to connessione, the appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things. With Da Vinci as your inspiration, you will discover an exhilarating new way of thinking. And step-by-step, through exercises and provocative lessons, you will harness the power—and awesome wonder—of your own genius, mastering such life-changing abilities as:
Problem solving
Creative thinking
Self-expression
Enjoying the world around you
Goal setting and life balance
Harmonizing body and mind
Drawing on Da Vinci's notebooks, inventions, and legendary works of art, acclaimed author Michael J. Gelb, introduces seven Da Vincian principles, the essential elements of genius, from curiosita, the insatiably curious approach to life, to connessione, the appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things. With Da Vinci as their inspiration, readers will discover an exhilarating new way of thinking.
Step-by-step, through exercises and provocative lessons, anyone can harness the power and awesome wonder of their own genius, mastering such life-changing skills as problem solving, creative thinking, self-expression, goal setting and life balance, and harmonizing body and mind. —
Customer Reviews:
Think Like da Vinci by Gelb.......2007-09-01
The author discusses some classic thinking processes which help with
creativity and invoking the genius in us all. Some of these qualities
are recognizable. i.e.
o curiosity
o testing knowledge via experience
o interconnectedness
o refining the senses
o embrace and ponder on uncertainty and ambiguity
o cultivate grace and poise
o balance scientific and artistic notions
o promote "whole brain" thinking
I would add some others to this list. i.e.
o patience
o analysis but avoidance of "analysis paralysis"
o quality rest and simulating a stream of consciousness and relaxation
o encounters with nature
o spontaneous refinement of ideas
The book centralizes some very important aspects of creativity worthy
of emulation.
Mostly other people's ideas.......2007-07-29
If you are new to techniques mentioned in this book, you may be thrilled - if you are familiar with them, you may be dissapointed. Most of techniques presented here are nothing new - some are from the book the Einstein Factor, some are from Tony Buzan's books (i.e. mind-mapping), there is a touch of biography of Leonardo Da Vinci. A good deal of questions that are designed to jog your creativity in this book are questions that are part of just about any goal-setting workshop, and here for example, Tony Robbins comes to mind. And there are few questions which I believe anyone who has ever had even a remote interest in spirituality has already asked - as in "What is my purpose in life?" and "How can I best serve my Creator?" All in all I have expected some original ideas from the author, but what I've found is mostly a summary of methods, techniques and exercises offered through other sources.
Stirring our thought models.......2007-07-28
Don't you just love the job application letter Leonardo writes? This book focuses us on the superb all-rounder life of Leonardo, and prompts us to be a little more curious, more adventurous and more aware.
I picked up my copy at the Indianapolis airport which made the flight back to New Zealand seem much shorter and more productive.
At some points the concepts Michael extrapolates from Leonardo's life are a bit tenuous and occasionally touchy-feely eg corporalita at work, but I didn't mind as you can utilise those ideas you feel are of value. I'm a regular mind map user, even if Leonardo's jottings appear a big jump to Buzan's approach today which Michael shares.
I did like Leonardo's notion of building a lexicon to enrich our vocabulary, or sketching regularly, or listing questions - big or small, to keep us searching.
In essence, a useful thought-stirrer. We can all do a great deal more than our current thought models allow.
Disappointing.......2007-05-23
I've studied Da Vinci, and, because of that I looked forward toward reading this book. I was sorely disappointed. This is mostly a made up fiction which makes me wonder about why a publisher publishes a book like this without even an elementary attempt to check the facts.
Genius! Sheer Genius!.......2007-04-01
I CAN THINK LIKE LEONARDO da VINCI!!!
I bought both the book and the workbook at the same time and during nights when I can't sleep I stay up late and work on my Leonardo thinking workbook; which is a spiral notebook with all of my Leonardo type thoughts and expiriments in it! This book is simple enough for my five year old to enjoy learning about but practical enough for me to enjoy every night on my own after the family has gone to bed. If you like Leonardo, and appreciate art, you will LOVE this set!
Book Description
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) possessed arguably the greatest mind the world has ever known. Artist, draftsman, inventor, and philosopher, his contributions to modern society are profound and wide-reaching. Throughout his life, Leonardo kept dozens of notebooks, elegant studies on topics ranging from architecture to botany to philosophy—indeed nearly anything of which the human imagination could conceive.
Leonardo’s Notebooks collects a variety of the most fascinating of these studies and compiles them into one monumental volume that demystifies his insights and clearly illustrates his ideas, experiments, and observations with hundreds of his original sketches, line drawings, and paintings. Topics include Anatomy and the Movement of the Human Figure; Botany and Landscape; Engineering and Military Engineering; Physical Sciences; Aerodynamics and Flight; Geography—and more.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-09-16
This is a great book that I had been looking forward to getting for a while. The images and writting is good, although a bit hard to understand at times. The ONLY problem I have with this book that gets it a 4 out of 5 stars for me is the fact that it is so tall and wide. Granted it makes looking at the pictures much easier but it also makes storage of this book MUCH harder. The book is to tall to stand on any but the top shelf on all of my book shelfs and it is so wide that it protudes from the edge of the shelf.
Don't let this distract you from getting this book however. It's detailed pictures are wonderful considering the orginal size of the works and the translations help with the reading. There's a section for each catagory, such as anatomy and lighting, which really helps if you want to look at certain types of works. The greatness of these pictures will have you looking at each page for hours, just to see all the details.
I would suggest this book for anyone from an art lover to a history fanatic. I use it as a reference book for one of my drawing classes. It's a great buy for anyone and everyone.
Excellent.......2007-08-21
Not one single problem with this book, I would recomend buying it for anyone anytime
Just what I wanted.......2007-06-27
I have always wanted a book just with Leonardo's sketches and annotation. Printed on beautiful paper and in great detail. This is a wonderful book, that I will draw much inspiration from.
Noteworthy notebooks.......2007-02-23
If you enjoy researching from old documents, you will enjoy this book. It isn't an easy read, however, if you're looking for just an armchair novel. Leonardo had his opinions on many subjects, and wrote fairly technically. The drawings are wonderful, as you might expect, and the diversity of subjects gives the reader a glimpse into his wide range of interests.
Gift.......2007-01-15
This was a Christmas gift for my father. He liked the background detail and all the glossy pages of artwork.
Amazon.com
Leonardo da Vinci is the perfect antidote to a dumbed-down world. Perfect for anyone with similar aspirations for self-actualization, the exercises in The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook are designed to provide a lifetime of cerebral expansion, using the seven parameters laid out in How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: curiosity; developing knowledge though experience; sensual refinement; a willingness to embrace ambiguity and paradox; linking the scientific and creative sides of the brain; physical poise and fitness; and understanding the connectedness of all life.
For example, to develop curiosity, one of the exercises has you ask people you respect to assess your strengths and weaknesses and to offer ways in which you could improve. Uncomfortable? Probably, for both parties. But if you're not curious about how others perceive you, you've closed off entire corridors leading toward self-knowledge and self-improvement. In the section on knowledge and experience, Gelb has you write down each new word you come across, along with its definition, and practice using it as often as you can. Da Vinci, he says, recorded 9,000 words this way. As Gelb notes in his introduction, this isn't a book that can be fully used up in a week or even a year; it could take 10 years to perform all these exercises. It would take months just to listen to the 10 greatest pieces of classical music he lists in the section on sensual refinement, and then listen to them played by different orchestras and conductors to distinguish subtle differences in interpretation. And, certainly, the simmeringly sensual recipes listed in that same section could lead to some very cozy evenings over the course of a lifetime. --Lou Schuler
Book Description
In the bestselling tradition of
The Artist's Way Morning Pages Journal,
The Simple Abundance Journal of Gratitude and
The Don't Sweat the Small Stuff Workbook comes
The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook--the companion volume to Michael Gelb's 1998 Delacorte hardcover bestseller.
Created to structure and motivate the reader's development of the seven da Vincian principles introduced in
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci,
The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook represents the natural extension of Gelb's da Vinci line. As any modern da Vinci student knows, Leonardo's notebook both served as the incubator and repository of his unique genius and provides the foundation of any modern-day student's attempt to emulate that genius on his own. From the very first exercise in the original
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, Gelb encourages readers to keep their own personal notebooks in which to hone their da Vincian skills; now he provides that notebook for them, with the added bonus of tips on exercises they'll recognize and new suggestions and assignments that will build on the work they've already done.
Designed to echo the inviting look of
How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci, and structured to help readers focus on each of the seven genius principles,
The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook is a companion volume that truly complements and enhances the reader's experience of the original book on which it's based.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful treasure to share with the whole family!.......2007-03-12
I was looking for something to share with my daughter for her Home school projects but fell in love with this book and workbook for myself instead!
This is a wonderful book to thrill and inspire you to learn new things about yourself every day! Why rush through it?! It was meant to be savored slowly like wine and cheese so don't rush your way through it!
I AM a Leonardo da Vincian Thinker!
My organization now thinks like Leonardo.......2006-11-10
I bought this book and the companion workbook, read it, then had a presentation done for my professional organization of which I am the state president this year. It was smashing!
I recomend this to anyone who is interested in learning how to "think outside the box" and to really explore how to think and approach everyday things in a different manner.
These books lend themselves well to seminars for groups and for academia.
Great way to step back and relook your life.......2006-02-02
At first I was skeptical but the workbook has turned out great. I have been using it on and off at times in my life when a lot of things are going on and I need a way to rethink about what I am really doing with my life. It may not be for everyone but for the few people who are ambitious or have lots of intrest, this book can help bring everything in perspective. It's not even that expensive. Also, it doubles as a journal if you don't care for the exercises.
Sad.......2003-02-23
This is very sad book with little merit. A perfect example of an author scamming the reading public. I wish there was some kind of publishing board that could review books and prohibit some from being published.
Refining senses in a cluttered, rushed world........2002-11-20
Part of this book is for journaling and we've all heard how helpful journaling can be in different areas of our lives. That, however is not what I consider the value of this book.
Flip it over and you have the workbook part of the book. In this section the reader is made to sit down and think. Unlike journaling, where your mind takes you where it wants to go, the workbook gives us assignments.
For instance: Learning from Mistakes and Adversity (who doesn't want to do this?). This section encourages us to explore our attitudes toward mistakes by contemplating questions given. Following the instructions are two pages of questions that the reader must answer. In a word - it makes us think.
The work book also encourages readers to refine our senses. How often do we even consider doing this during the day when we have responsibilities piled upon us, clocks ticking the seconds away, and all the world'sgeneral confusion spinning around us? Not often!
I found this book enlightening, encouraging and helpful.
Average customer rating:
- MNReview
- Worth reading if you can do it quickly
- Eye Candy
- Mary Magdalene Vs. the Men's Club,
- Surprisingly Good
|
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| African American
| Asian American
| Classics
| Collections & Readers
| Drama
| General
| Hispanic
| History & Criticism
| Humor
| Jewish American
| Letters & Correspondence
| Native American
| Poetry
| Short Stories
| Women Writers
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Brown, Dan
| ( B )
| Authors, A-Z
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Mystery
| Book Clubs
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Angels & Demons: A Novel
-
Holy Blood, Holy Grail
-
A Million Little Pieces
-
Deception Point
-
The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
ASIN: 0385504209
Release Date: 2003-03-18 |
Amazon.com
With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoteria culled from 2,000 years of Western history.
A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. Brown (Angels and Demons) has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought. --Jeremy Pugh
Book Description
While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.
Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others.
In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever.
THE DA VINCI CODE heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent thriller…utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion.
Download Description
While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others. In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever. THE DA VINCI CODE heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent thriller¿utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion.
Customer Reviews:
MNReview.......2007-10-02
Asorbing - you won;t want to stop listening. (Much more thrilling than reading the book.)
Worth reading if you can do it quickly.......2007-09-30
You need to read "The DaVinci Code" really fast; it's much better that way. You need to read it fast because if you slow down for a second, you might start asking questions like --
> Why does the author seem to be basing this book on schlocky movies like "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"?
> How or why would Mary Magdalene wind up in France of all places?
> Were five million people really burned to death as witches, at a time when the population of all of Europe was maybe sixty million?
> Why are all the book's characters straight out of central casting?
But I don't want to be too tough on the book. Trying to make straight-laced Christianity compatible with Druidic free-love fertility rites will stretch anyone's syncretic capabilities.
Now, maybe for his next book Monsieur Langdon can dig up the grail, put the documents on the internet, then go off to discover that a certain sixth-and-seventh-century religious warrior-prophet was really married to four men, not women, and that this fact is constantly being alluded to by the Weinstein brothers in all their films.
Eye Candy.......2007-09-30
Never take a fictional story seriously, even when it can be ridden with a lot of false facts, and crap characters. This is a techno thriller, and from my experience in reading techno thrillers, it provided exactly what a thriller was supposed to provide: Edge-of-your-seat action and enough riddles to keep you turning the pages. In the haste to provide such a thriller, character development is one of the things left behind. The characters are simply there to drive the plot, but don't do much themselves. Thus is `The Da Vinci' Code.
Now, I've read `Angels and Demons' second to this, and the same themes are eerily there, if not almost complete copies of one another. Yeah, you got another Alex Cross, but at least Robert Langdon is slightly interesting character...or is that the plot talking?
The plot, we all know what this book is about and what it contains. Is the Holy Grail really a cup? Did the power of the church rest in man? What is humankind's darkest secret? Everything, while not totally accurate (This is fiction--mind you), did blend together, and it's no wonder why several people even believe this stuff is real. It really *does* sound convincing, and that is what a thriller is supposed to do. It's supposed to give you bogus that can pass off as true, or even truth than can pass off as true. Da Vinci's paintings tie together in the mystery, as well as Isaac Newton, among many others. The riddles are well-done and do not give you a sense of `huh?' when you solve them with Robert Langdon. Boy, the church seems to hide quite a lot of things from us, aren't they?
While this book bears the same theme as `Angels and Demons': a dark secret about the church that's been hidden for thousands of years, a dead leader leaves behind a single clue that could help out Robert Langdon and his new heroine companion, the you-didn't-see-it-coming villain, a `society-discarded' bodyguard to evil, etc...the book grips you, and does not let go. And that's why it's perfect for eye candy. It's just not good for you if you eat too much of it. Give it a try, but only if you're into characters who drive plot, and the plot is the only thing worth reading alone.
Mary Magdalene Vs. the Men's Club,.......2007-09-29
`The Da Vinci Code' is fiction; a fictional story about Sophie Neveu, a fictitious cryptologist working with the French provincial police, and Dr. Robert Langdon, a fictitious Harvard Symbologist, thrown together in a murder investigation by the victim himself with a hidden agenda which leads to a modern day search for the Holy Grail. This story is as captivating as the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, with a twist. It is a book that keeps your attention and you will not want to put it down.
As with all great books it makes you think, wonder "what if", and puts a spin on one of the most misunderstood, if not THE most misunderstood person in history. As a young boy going to catechism, I had strong interest in the story of Mary Magdalene. The nuns portrayed her as a repenting sinner, a [...], and it was disturbing to me why Jesus Christ appeared to a [...] first on the birthday of Christianity. It is so refreshing and surprising that I am not alone with my feelings.
To me, faith is having belief in something or someone without proof. I believe in God and Jesus Christ, I do also believe in Mary Magdalene.
I don't know if she was the wife of Jesus Christ. I do know that the Catholic Church slandered this woman and did not recant it until 1969, hundreds of years after the slanderous remarks made about her. The damage to her is almost irreversible but God acts in mysterious ways.
As many people believe it is the end of times, to me it seems odd that so much attention is being drawn to Mary Magdalene now. It is surprising to me it is happening on the cusp of a new Pope coming to power. I see something different in this Pope just by his first address to the people. Just my opinion, but I think we are going to see the church try to put Mary Magdalene in the place she belongs and let women take their rightful place in the church.
Last year I was at a retreat, and one of the classes was about Conclave; with the Pope's health failing and getting on in years, they thought it would be good for us to understand how it went about. This was the first place I was introduced to the man who has become our new Pope. The one thing that stuck in my mind was the requirements to be Pope.
First, you must be baptized but not necessarily a Catholic.
Two, you must be a male.
Three, there is no three at all; the two requirements are all there is. I believe this is showing the discrimination of women in the church in such a blatant manner that it is unforgivable.
So, if the church does not believe that Mary Magdalene is the wife of Jesus and she is not a disciple, then who is she?
Let me express my feeling of the birth of Christianity and the last days of my Lord. He was accused, tried, convicted, scorned, and forced to carry his own cross in pain and humiliation, which became the tool of his demise. The one thing through all of these events was the presence of Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene. As they both cried and prayed at his feet as he died, WHERE WERE THE DISCIPLES?
Mary Magdalene and Mother Mary helped to remove him from the cross then prepared his body and helped to place him in the tomb for final resting, they then wept for three days and nights with great pain and sorrow. On the third day he rose from the dead, did not appear to any of the disciples, or kings, or Rabbis, not even to his own mother. He chose to come to Mary Magdalene first, and to her alone to confront his pain. She is one of the most important, if not the most important person to Jesus Christ. This can be seen in this one example on the birthday of Christianity. She fills every requirement to be a disciple but she is not.
One reason could be that she is female, and the Catholic Church is the largest and most powerful men's club in the world, with the Vatican being the biggest men's locker room the world has ever seen. Remarks like, "a woman belongs to her husband", is just one example. If you or I made some of the statements in the workplace that are made by priests in church, we could be fired; it would be considered sexual harassment. Accepting Mary as a disciple would rock the foundation of the church that Peter built. So I think we are at the end of times, the end of the old church and the men's club, and approaching the birth of a new church, with women standing next to men, THE CHURCH THAT MARY BUILT.
Or, is it as Dan Brown has so elegantly brought out in his book, that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus.
This book is fiction but it asks real questions to every Christian; who is Mary Magdalene and why was she so important to the Lord? Why did the church try so hard to discredit her and write her out of the Bible?
Why the Gospel of Mary is restricted reading from the Catholic Church? I was in Mass one Saturday evening and this book was a big part of the homily, where the priest went on to say this book is blasphemy and not to be read.
I am confused, is this not censorship? Does not censorship feed mistrust, restrict the mind from growth, and stifle freewill. That's odd, because the church I was brought up in believed that freewill is the one thing that God the Father Almighty, the creator of us all, WILL NOT influence. I guess the leaders of the church think they know better than God
Speculation can take us down all kinds of roads. If God sent his son to us to forgive us for our sins and live among us as a man to understand man's suffering, why would God forsake Jesus of the most powerful emotion we as man can feel; the pain and beauty of love for another and the sense of parenthood.
Surprisingly Good.......2007-09-26
This is one of those books that I avoided reading for a long time. Sure, it was popular, and it had an intriguing concept, and a lot of people thought it was very good. A lot of writer people, however, denigrated the book, saying it had too many adjectives and adverbs, among other things. When I finally did get around to reading it, I was surprised to find myself drawn inexorably into the story.
The Da Vinci Code begins with Robert Langdon being called to the Louvre museum, where there has been a bizarre murder. Langdon, an expert symbologist, winds up becoming both a suspect in the case and the only investigator who really understands it. Together with Sophie Neveu, a police cryptographer who turns out to be the victim's granddaughter, Langdon sets off on an urgent quest to solve the crime. As Langdon and Neveu race from clue to clue, the plot unfolds to huge proportions, including murderous conspiracies and secret societies, with nothing less than the Catholic church at stake.
As a story, The Da Vinci Code is very well done. It captures the reader's interest from the start and holds it throughout Langdon and Neveu's headlong dash through the night. The characters are well drawn, if awkward in places. The locales are exotic, and the settings intricately detailed. The plot itself is a masterwork. The fact that this book has spawned so many other books to discredit it is testimony to the authenticity and credibility of its voice.
To be honest, there are places in the book where the structure of the sentences falls into a pattern that is humorous and annoying if you recognize it. The vast intricacy of the plot and the convincing detail of the setting, however, more than compensate for any deficiency of character or sentence structure. As a writer, I found much more to covet here than to ridicule.
All in all, I think The Da Vinci Code is a new classic. Many people still discount the work, but I'm not sure how a true bibliophile could justify avoiding it. The book has become a phenomenon, an icon of modern success in the book industry. And, underneath it all, it really is a good story.
Book Description
Isabelle d’Este, daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, born into privilege and the political and artistic turbulence of Renaissance Italy, is a stunning black-eyed blond and an art lover and collector. Worldly and ambitious, she has never envied her less attractive sister, the spirited but naïve Beatrice, until, by a quirk of fate, Beatrice is betrothed to the future Duke of Milan. Although he is more than twice their age, openly lives with his mistress, and is reputedly trying to eliminate the current duke by nefarious means, Ludovico Sforza is Isabella’s match in intellect and passion for all things of beauty. Only he would allow her to fulfill her destiny: to reign over one of the world’s most powerful and enlightened realms and be immortalized in oil by the genius Leonardo da Vinci. Isabella vows that she will not rest until she wins her true fate, and the two sisters compete for supremacy in the illustrious courts of Europe.
A haunting novel of rivalry, love, and betrayal that transports you back to Renaissance Italy, Leonardo’s Swans will have you dashing to the works of the great master—not for clues to a mystery but to contemplate the secrets of the human heart.
Download Description
Chapter One
X * FORTUNA (CHANCE)
FROM THE NOTEBOOK OF LEONARDO:
When Fortune comes, seize her firmly at the forelock, for I tell you, she is bald at the back.
IN THE YEAR 1489; IN THE CITY OF FERRARA
She grew up in a land of fairy tales and miracles. That is what Isabella is explaining to Francesco as they ride through Ferrara's streets. It is Christmastime, and though there is no snow on the dry stone road, the horses shoot clouds of steam into the frigid air through their nostrils.
This is the first time she has been allowed to escort her fiancé through the city on one of his visits. Francesco Gonzaga, future Marquis of Mantua, has come to Ferrara to romance his soon-to-be bride and to enjoy the city's many Christmas pageants ordered by Isabella's father, Duke Ercole d'Este, a great patron of the theater. Isabella believes that the more she tells Francesco of Ferrara's secrets and wonders, and the more she shows him of her father's spectacular building projects and improvements, the more he will realize her value.
In this very church, Isabella says, pointing to St. Mary's of the Ford, almost two hundred years ago on Easter Sunday, the priest broke the Eucharist in two, and flesh and blood came spraying forth, covering the walls of the church and splattering the entire flock.
"The parishioners watched in awe," Isabella says, eyes wide with drama. "The Bishop of Ferrara and the Archbishop of Ravenna came to see it. They instantly recognized it as the body and blood of Christ and declared it a true miracle of the Eucharist."
Francesco solemnly makes the sign of the cross as they ride past the church, but his eyebrows arch skeptically, making him look entirely out of step with the act.
Beatrice trots ahead of the pair of lovers, her long braid swinging in saucy rhythm with the horse's mane, as uninterested as her steed in their conversation.
"Isn't that right, Beatrice?" Isabella asks her sister for confirmation of her story, hoping that the odd girl does not say anything to contradict her. Beatrice is a puzzle to Isabella, a fact that the older sister blames on the girl's unsupervised upbringing in wild Naples. The girl is a feral, unformed thing, alternately shy, naive, aloof, and bold--the latter especially apparent when riding or hunting. How such a small fourteen-year-old girl, who is not particularly courageous outside of these activities, excels at all manly sport is a mystery to Isabella, but the fact of Beatrice's prowess remains, no matter how enigmatic.
"I wouldn't know. I wasn't there!" Beatrice finally answers without turning around, but they can hear her laugh at her own joke.
The animal's swaying ass taunts Isabella, who knows that her sister is dying to break away from them to test the horse's speed. Francesco has brought Drago, the pure white Spanish charger, from his family's stud farm on the island of Tejeto, as a gift for the girls' father. But Beatrice immediately took over the animal, talking to him in whispers that should be reserved for a lover, and hopping upon him and riding away, as if the painstakingly bred horse was meant to carry a little girl in a pink riding dress and not a fearsome knight in armor.
"I'll tell you a miracle that happened right here in Ferrara that is even better," Francesco says, sidling his horse right up to Isabella's so that their legs touch. She knows she should pull away, that her mother would rail against this sort of indiscriminate physical contact, even with leather riding boots providing a barrier to the couple's much-craved intimacy, but instead, she rides with slow care so that they might continue to brush against one another.
"What miracle is that?" she asks, suppressing a smile.
"That your father agreed that you should be my wife," he answers.
You have no idea j
Customer Reviews:
A Very Enjoyable Read.......2007-09-16
As one who normally gravitates to English historical fiction, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book, but was drawn to it because of the inclusion of Leonardo da Vinci. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and the period of Italian history presented. It takes you to a different time and place with ease. After finishing the book, I find myself wanting to read more Italian historical fiction and to visit the works of Leonardo da Vinci at the Louvre. Just the kind of inspiration you hope to get from a great book!
Well done.......2007-07-16
I enjoyed this novel more than Essex's IN THE COMPANY OF A COURTESAN. Over all, the book is a well done weaving of fact and fiction. Essex is a talented writer - I thoroughly enjoy her style and ability to move the story along rather quickly. My main critisim is lack of character development and telling nuances. Just a little more heart and depth to each of the main women characters would have really made this a show stopper. In general, it read like a very visual movie and a great story that I have not read in a novel version before.
I especially enjoyed *learning* a little more about several of the lovely faces that grace Leonardo's work. I say "learning," assuming that the general story is close to the facts and conceivably possible - which seems to be the case. Mind you that I am no Italian historical biographer - I'm sure Essex took the needed literary liberty as needed. A wonderful read!
A letdown in the genre of historical fiction.......2007-06-04
This book had very little to do with the aforementioned painting and with Leonardo da Vinci in general, in which case I was let down because it turned out to be something I did not expect. Based on a true tale of Renaissance era power families in Italy, the characters seemed like mere ciphers who existed solely to report the goings on of the day. Essex seemingly couldn't decide between an historical work or historical fiction and, as a result, this book is neither. Given authors like Dunant and Gregory, historical fiction can be so much more in the hands of a gifted storyteller. This book was a disappointment through and through.
Karen takes you back to DaVinci's life and times.......2007-05-22
Very enjoyable read, a real insight to Leonardo DaVinci and his contemporaries. The characters come alive!
Leonardo's Swans.......2007-05-13
For anyone who enjoys historical fiction AND/OR is planning a trip to Milan, THIS is the book for you. The story line was easy to follow and hard to put down. The details of the Sforza Castle, of Leonardo's various works and his quirks, and the history of ruling families in Italy during the 1400's-1500's was fascinating! It honestly made my last trip to Milan much more meaningful as I almost felt I knew Isabella and the Moro. A GREAT read!
Book Description
Building on the success of The Da Vinci Code--a bestseller in 48 countries--this book brings inventions from the artist's original coded notebooks alive. There's more interest than ever in Leonardo Da Vinci, and here readers will find a rare glimpse into the innovator's brilliant mind, with:
-Gorgeous color artwork that breathes life into Leonardo's inventions--from flying and war machines to musical instruments
-Annotated diagrams that show exactly how each contraption would have worked
-A look at how the inventions would be used in modern life
With incredible detail and mechanical accuracy, Leonardo's Machines unlocks the mystery of the artist's notebooks in a way that's both fascinating and educational!
Customer Reviews:
Great Book - Only a how-to if you are VERY experienced!.......2007-06-04
I bought this book because I have tickets to see the traveling exhibit, "The Da Vinci Experience", in a couple months. It is a gorgeous book. Each machine covered has copies of the Da Vinci original plans, plus the editor's illustrations breaking the machine into it's components, with the placements of said componenets. Each machine has explanations of how components and the full machine work (or are supposed to work). Also, each machine has a history of Leonardo's drawings, purpose, client or personal notebooks, etc. It's a great book and looks gorgeous. I wouldn't think it would be a how-to for a school project unless the kid/parent had a lot of mechanical experience beforehand. All drawings show "real" components that you'd need a full shop to put together. There are no measurements, per se, just comparative sizes shown in the drawings. In the case of Leonardo's original drawings, it looks like this was deliberate. For example, the book's Introduction tells of Leonardo's problems with Giorgio Tedesco, an assistant of a prominant Medici. He wanted Leonardo to build him wooden models of several inventions. Leonardo successfully argued that he could only give Tedesco the scaled drawings. Historians surmise that Leonardo suspected that Tedesco would take the models back to his country, and take them apart to make full-sized machines out of iron without Leonardo's help. Job security was no laughing matter in the 1500's! Love the book. Can't wait to see the working full-sized (except for the half-size helicopter)models made from the drawings in the exhibition.
Very Practical book. useful for school projects.......2006-09-05
excellent illustrations. this book is a must for anybody contemplating building any of Leonardo's machines. Particularly for school projects. Disappointed that the crossbow wasn't included. Otherwise probably one of the best books available on his machines.
Book Description
As the success of blockbusters like The Da Vinci Code shows, the incomparable and enigmatic Leonardo da Vinci continues to captivate. In this widely acclaimed biography, Charles Nicholl uncovers the man behind the myth of the “Renaissance master.” Painter, sculptor, inventor, draftsman, anatomist—Leonardo's life and career encompassed so many of the creative achievements that made his era spectacular. Nicholl skillfully captures it all while tracing his subject's journey from an illegitimate child in Tuscany to his service with some of the most powerful families of Renaissance Europe. Rich with historical background, packed with black-and-white and color illustrations, and utterly engaging, this is the definitive look at a figure whose genius reaches out to us through the centuries.
Customer Reviews:
Maybe it's just me.......2007-02-15
There are more life details in this book than I ever wanted to read. This made for a bit of a slow, boring read. I'm still looking for a good biography on Da Vinci.
A winner...!.......2006-04-03
It has been a long time since my survey of art history and architecture classes, and so, in preparation for a trip to Italy, it seemed like a good idea to read about the great Leonardo. This book served as a window in my planning as well as a way to gain greater understanding of the five-hundred years worth of tradition and scholarly debate surrounding da Vinci.
First of all it is important to say that Charles Nicholl has done a fantastic job of ferreting out obscure documents and records that give us facts and clues to untangle the misinformation about Leonardo da Vinci. One has a sense of being in the hands of a master of the art of separating wheat and chaff, as Nicholl sifts until we, the readers, are given only that which is worthwhile. The rest lightly falls away.
As a result, the reader gets to know much about da Vinci's family, his hometown and early years; much about his training and his methods of working; much about his likes and dislikes--in short, we get to know da Vinci the man as well as da Vinci the artist. Nicholl discusses the developmental impact of da Vinci's illegitimacy and its possible influence upon his subsequent choices in subject and themes as an artist. While not shying away from these or other details of da Vinci's personal life, he does so in a way that these serve as windows into the man and his work.
The book is well-illustrated, especially so for what is not a coffee table book-it has two generous selections of color plates and a profusion of black and white photography as well, that helps the reader see the interrelationships between da Vinci's well known and lesser known works. While there is an excellent quantity of information about da Vinci's speculative explorations of anatomy and his work on machines ranging from warfare to flying, the book centers upon his brilliance in the art of painting and drawing.
There is a first-rate overview of each of the best known works, and much to help the reader appreciate the background of the Mona Lisa and Last Supper, as well as the Annunciation, the Adoration, the Madonna of the Rocks, and the different versions of the Virgin with St. Anne, et al. The antecedents, models, and borrowings from one work to another provide a harmony of understanding. Many of the less well known works are also brought to the fore so that the reader has a larger sense of da Vinci's oeuvre.
The account of the concealed fresco of the Palazzo Vecchio is gripping, with the research still-evolving; it is the kind of chronicle that sends the reader looking for supplementary information. Nicholl relates the friction between the two Florentine geniuses, da Vinci and Michelangelo, showing a clash of temperament that fleshes out the character of both men.
One comes away from the book with a profound sense that da Vinci, while adding beauty and wonder to the lives of many, and while exhibiting a boundless curiosity about all things, was nonetheless a man whose life was also fraught with a self-imposed distancing from others, and a measure of melancholy.
Throughout, the interrelationship between da Vinci and his contemporary Renaissance artists, as well as political leaders, is so well presented that the reader is given a large tapestry of the life and times of da Vinci.
If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.
Wow.......2006-01-30
I haven't read many biogrpahies on Leonardo Da Vinci. In fact this is the first one but based on other reviews here and from what I've read in the book myself - this has to be one of the very best Biography book on Leonardo Da Vinci, so I would highly recommend it to all.
Flying above and beyond.......2006-01-06
Although lengthy enough to use as a satisfactory doorstop, it was worth the reading. Not only a biography of Da Vinci's life, the author traces the evolution (sometimes convolutions)of his thought processes, as well as the social background of his more famous artistic works. Nicholl's inclusion of information on the subsequent history and restorations of paintings helped to anchor it in the present. While Fruedian interpretations are always murky at best (as oft pointed out: sometimes a cigar is just a cigar) their inclusion was also entertaining. Highly recommended - an excellent launching into the 1400's.
Renaissance Leadership.......2005-08-26
Renaissance leadership created by the d'Medici but was propelled by da Vinci from drawings to designs to catapults. "His brillance must have been noticed but one senses a note of exclusion: a young man who doesn't quite fit." (p. 167) Da Vinci was different. The book analyzes in detail the major portion of his work as a study of art and circumstance. From birth to death, the book folds itself around every aspect, every friend and every patron of da Vinci's art. The book is exhaustive. it shows what a world a half-millennium in the past could have been. The author suggests that world was scruffy but sophisticated at the same time. Eric J. Lindblom PhD Harvard
Average customer rating:
|
Leonardo da Vinci: Experience, Experiment, and Design
Martin Kemp
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Renaissance
| Schools, Periods & Styles
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
European
| Regional
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Da Vinci, Leonardo
| ( D-F )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Seen | Unseen: Art, Science, and Intuition from Leonardo to the Hubble Telescope
-
Leonardo Da Vinci and a Memory of His Childhood (Freud, Sigmund, Works.)
-
Leonardo da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature and Man
-
The Science of Art: Optical Themes in Western Art from Brunelleschi to Seurat
-
Leonardo
ASIN: 0691129053 |
Book Description
Here, the world's leading authority on Leonardo da Vinci takes us to the heart of the Renaissance master's genius--his visual thinking. Probing the mystery of how da Vinci thought graphically, on paper, Martin Kemp traces not only his approach to modeling but also fascinating efforts by modern engineering to build his inventions. Could these inventions have worked? We see da Vinci visualizing mighty ideas from the arts of peace to the science of war--great visions of the earth, the mystery of mathematical proportion in the design of the universe, detailed observations on the motion of waters, and meticulous reconstructions of how heart valves function, as well as his flying machine, tank, and giant crossbow.
No one ever used paper as a laboratory for thinking on the scale of Leonardo da Vinci. No one graced pages with such an impetuous cascade of observations, visualized thoughts, brainstormed alternatives, theories, polemics, and debates concerning virtually every branch of knowledge about the visible world.
This lavishly illustrated and elegantly written book examines 200 extraordinary pages from da Vinci's notebooks, some virtually unknown, to illuminate the most fundamental aspect of his work.
Published on the occasion of an exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, Leonardo da Vinci: Experience, Experiment, and Design provides unrivaled insight into the workings of the artist's visual mind. Leonardo da Vinci never lost his sense of awe over the wonders of natural design. With this book, we can experience a comparable sense of awe when faced with the enduring grandeur and freshness of his vision.
Book Description
Since the Tarot is really a product of the Italian Renaissance, it is only appropriate that a Tarot deck be based on the genius of the quintessential Renaissance man: Leonardo Da Vinci. The art is sophisticated in line, color, composition, and symbolism. Prepare to be intrigued, challenged, and delighted as you explore the depth and beauty of this deck.
Average customer rating:
- It's no secret, this is a very enjoyable read
- Too many details, disappointing ending.
- The Secret Supper
- It just didn't draw me in...
- Poor Leonardo!
|
The Secret Supper: A Novel
Javier Sierra
Manufacturer: Atria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Spanish
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Thrillers
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Christianity
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Fiction
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Templar Legacy: A Novel
-
Labyrinth
-
The Last Cato: A Novel
-
The Last Templar
-
The Amber Room: A Novel
ASIN: 0743287649
Release Date: 2006-03-21 |
Amazon.com
The Da Vinci juggernaut rolls on, this time in the capable hands of a bestselling author in the Spanish-speaking world. The Secret Supper has been ably translated by Alberto Manguel, author of A History of Reading, that delightful revelation that squiggles on a page are words, and words make stories. Set in 1497 Milan, at the time of the painting of the Cenacolo, or The Last Supper, in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, Sierra has created a tale of religious fanaticism, betrayal, murder, Church politics, artistic chicanery and mystery to confound the reader.
Fra Agostino Leyre, a Papal Inquisitor, is sent to Milan to confirm--or not--the messages of the "Soothsayer," who alleges that Leonardo Da Vinci is a heretic and has hidden heretical messages in his painting of The Last Supper. Leonardo is a figure larger than life, literally. A blue-eyed, tall, handsome man, always dressed in white, he is surrounded by faithful students and friends who are his acolytes. His brilliant mind, ranging over a multitude of ideas, has gained him a reputation for "hiding heterodox ideas in paintings apparently pious."
What Father Agostino follows is a labyrinthine path through alliances and rivalries, differences of opinion about Leonardo and a discussion of the heresy of the Cathars. They are a fascinating sect, more extra-Christianity than Christian heretics. Their practices are based on a belief that certain deprivations--primarily food and sex--will purify and make them worthy. Sierra is a very fine guide, taking the reader through palaces and monasteries rife with intrigue and typical of the flowering of intellect that came after the Dark Ages. It is a time when "Suddenly, from one day to the next, Plato's Greece, Cleopatra's Egypt and even the extravagant curiosities of the Chinese Empire that Marco Polo discovered seemed to deserve greater praise than our own Scriptural stories." Dangerous for the incumbency.
A compelling case is made that Leonardo's heretical beliefs are there for all to see in The Last Supper, if only we know how to find them. Sierra gives us the key--and keeps the suspense going right up to the end of the book. It isn't necessary to believe any of it, or even care if it's true, to enjoy this pilgrimage through another time and place. --Valerie Ryan
Book Description
The most-talked-about international bestseller of the year!
Tightly paced and atmospheric, The Secret Supper is a dazzling historical thriller with a unique vision of both Leonardo da Vinci's genius and his masterpiece -- which you will never look at in the same way again.
Milan, 1497: Leonardo is completing The Last Supper. Pope Alexander VI is determined to execute him after realizing that the painting contains clues to a baffling -- and blasphemous -- message that he is driven to decode. The Holy Grail and the Eucharistic Bread are missing, there is no meat on the table, and the apostles, shockingly, are portraits of well-known heretics -- and none of them are depicted with halos. And why has the artist painted himself into the scene with his back turned toward Jesus?
The clues to Leonardo's greatest puzzle are right before your eyes....
Download Description
"The most-talked-about international bestseller of the year! Tightly paced and atmospheric, The Secret Supper is a dazzling historical thriller with a unique vision of both Leonardo da Vinci's genius and his masterpiece -- which you will never look at in the same way again. Milan, 1497: Leonardo is completing The Last Supper. Pope Alexander VI is determined to execute him after realizing that the painting contains clues to a baffling -- and blasphemous -- message that he is driven to decode. The Holy Grail and the Eucharistic Bread are missing, there is no meat on the table, and the apostles, shockingly, are portraits of well-known heretics -- and none of them are depicted with halos. And why has the artist painted himself into the scene with his back turned toward Jesus? The clues to Leonardo's greatest puzzle are right before your eyes....
Customer Reviews:
It's no secret, this is a very enjoyable read.......2007-08-22
Javier Sierra's 'The Secret Supper' has, unavoidably, drawn comparisons to Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code'...as they both, admittedly, deal with a few 'similar' themes....secrets of the Church...the works of Leonardo da Vinci, and 'secret societies'.....however, Sierra's 'Secret Supper' is a far superior work to Brown's 'Da Vinci Code'.
Most importantly, the prose style and storytelling capabilities of Sierra far outweigh Brown's very 'pedestrian' writing style. Sierra creates an atmosphere to invoke his tale, unlike Brown, who gives a 'laundry list' of details to set his story in motion, and carry it along.
Transporting readers back to Milan in the latter 15th century, Father Agostino Leyre is sent to decipher, if he can, the purported 'conundrum' being painted into da Vinci's 'Cenacolo', or Last Supper (Cenacolo being the colloquial name given to the painting in Milan at the time).
Father Agostino uncovers much more than initially bargained for in his inquisition, though, as the secrets of dead monks begin to pile up at his feet, the sought-after 'Soothsayer' (who also challenges Agostino to find the answers he seeks) haunts his movements in his investigation, and thanks to the predisposition of da Vinci to add layer upon layer of new riddles to old, in the same way he might add layers of color to his paintings.
An absorbing, if not difficult, read that examines and promulgates the famed 'Last Supper' painting. The much heralded religious icon of Jesus announcing his betrayal to his apostles becomes more than just pigment on a wall...the order of the apostles, the hues chosen to represent them, the placement of their hands, the items on the table...everything is a clue to the answer that Agostino seeks. In reading this novel, I was reminded, faintly, of reading Plato's 'Symposium' which dissects and examines love as a feeling, a tangible being, an idea, etc. - and teaches that sometimes it is only by understanding the 'pieces' that we can comprehend the 'whole'.
Certainly this is a 'work of fiction' as much as any of the other recent releases that have seen the light of day with 'similar' themes. However, having read a few now, including Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code'...Javier Sierra's 'The Secret Supper' is, to me, near the top of the list, even higher than Dan Brown's more celebrated and widely read work.
Too many details, disappointing ending........2007-08-09
It starts out to be an interesting book, but one quickly gets bogged down with too many names and details leaving one confused as to what is actually going on.
The secret itself is interesting, but the character to which it points could have been more unexpected and does not really fit the role that was played, to ultimatley point to himself.
The style of the book is well done and has all the elements of a mistery novel of sorts.
I don't really recommend the book because I was tired and dispointed by the ending of the book. The point being made at the end was not very clear.
I hope the authors next book will be better and worth the time to read. This book did of course provide some kind of escape, which at least is better than most of the tv programs.
The Secret Supper.......2007-05-24
Rarely do I not finish a book I have started reading; however, I didn't finish this one. It was boring!
It just didn't draw me in..........2007-05-23
After reading this novel, I wonder if maybe the flow of it was lost when it was translated into English. It just felt really choppy to me, and even though I attempted to give it a real chance, from about a quarter of the way in I just kept wishing it was over so that I could read something more interesting. Any person with half a brain can figure out who the "Soothsayer" is the minute the narrator meets him, and the big "secret" that is discovered at the end is completely anticlimactic. To put it simply, if you're looking for a blase kind of story, go ahead and read this, but if you want something that's a little more fast-paced, with a conclusion that might shock you, this novel is NOT it.
Poor Leonardo!.......2007-04-30
Ever since "The DaVinci Code", Leonardo's reputation has taken a pounding from authors jumping on the church conspiracy bandwagon. This book is better written than most (and much better than anything Dan Brown has published), and the mystery tends to be a bit absorbing. Unfortunately, the suspense (as it were) can only carry you so far, and when the final "mystery" in uncovered, it is a real letdown to the reader. Make no mistake, though, the book is entertaining to read, and as long as you don't take it too seriously, you most likely will enjoy it.
Books:
- Human Anatomy for Artists: The Elements of Form
- Integrating Language Arts Through Literature and Thematic Units
- Introduction to Communication Research
- Jewelry Concepts and Technology
- Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You
- Leonardo Da Vinci: The Complete Paintings And Drawings
- Materials and Components of Interior Architecture (6th Edition)
- Mehndi : The Timeless Art of Henna Painting
- Michelangelo : The Complete Sculpture, Painting, Architecture
- New Perspectives on Microsoft Office Excel 2003, Comprehensive, Second Edition (New Perspectives (Paperback Course Technology))
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days
- At Home in Mitford/A Light in the Window/These High, Green Hills/Out to Canaan/A New Song/A Common L
- The Molecular and Ionic Signaling of Neutrophils
- The Surface Science of Metal Oxides
- What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew: From Fox Hunting to Whist-The Facts of Daily Life in
- Animal Law: Cases And Materials
- A New Owner's Guide to Bulldogs
- Egon Schiele: The Ronald S. Lauder And Serge Sabarsky Collections
- The English country house: A grand tour
- Flowering Plants of the Galapagos
The How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Workbook: Your Personal Companion to How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci
In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms
Teaching with the Brain in Mind, Revised 2nd Edition
Socrates' Way: Seven Keys to Using Your Mind to the Utmost
The Power of Questions: A Guide to Teacher and Student Research
